After taking a break for the last few days from this blog so I can move, I’m now sitting in the dining room of my new Somerville apartment drinking a cup of Bi Luo Chun tea I ordered from Heavenly Tea a month ago. I’d never heard of it before, but the name apparently means “Green Snail Spring” which sounds like something my 7-year-old son would come up with for a name of a superhero.

It’s a green tea that’s rolled up to look like gunpowder, which is what I expected it to taste like, but it’s a lot lighter than I expected (gunpowder is usually one of the strongest green teas). It tastes somewhat grassy to me, but not so much that it tastes like lawn clippings. It’s supposedly one of the “10 Most Famous Chinese Green Teas.”

The most exciting thing I can find about it on the Internet is from Wikipedia, so who knows if there’s any factual basis to it, but it’s worth spreading the rumor, true or false. Quoth Wikipedia:

Legend tells of its discovery by a tea picker who ran out of space in her basket, and put the tea between her breasts instead. The tea, warmed by her body heat, emitted a strong aroma that surprised the girl.

So with that image forever embedded in my mind, I’d rate Bi Luo Chun as above average for a plain (unflavored) green. This coming from a guy who normally prefers slightly flavored greens (jasmine, vanilla or a fruit).